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Image forming apparatus and method for forming toner image on recording medium

Inactive Publication Date: 2012-05-03
RICOH KK
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]This specification describes below an improved image forming apparatus. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus performs a copier job and a printer job and includes a control panel to receive the copier job; a reader to read an image on an original document to generate image data in the copier job; an image forming device to form a toner image on a recording medium according to the image data generated by the reader in the copier job or image data sent from an external device in the printer job; a media tray to contain the recording medium to be sent to the image forming device; and a fixing device to fix the toner image formed by the image forming device on the recording medium. The fixing device includes a fixing rotary body rotatable in a predetermined direction of rotation; a pressing rotary body rotatable in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the fixing rotary body and pressed against the fixing rotary body to form

Problems solved by technology

However, in a case where the fixing roller and the pressing roller should be turned off immediately after the previous job is finished, for example, if the fixing device does not receive the next job within the predetermined period of time, power is wasted for keeping one of the heaters on throughout the standby mode.
That is, in this method, the heater is turned off for a substantial period of time even in the standby mode to prevent overheating of the fixing roller, resulting in power saving.
Accordingly, the induction heater, which is turned off before the recording medium of the job is discharged from the nip, needs to be turned on again immediately after the fixing device enters the standby mode, wasting power.
However, with this method, the heaters are not turned off in the standby mode.
As a result, power saving is insufficient.

Method used

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  • Image forming apparatus and method for forming toner image on recording medium
  • Image forming apparatus and method for forming toner image on recording medium
  • Image forming apparatus and method for forming toner image on recording medium

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Experimental program
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first embodiment

[0067]Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7, the following describes control processes for heating the fixing sleeve 22 and the pressing roller 23 having the above-described structure according to a

[0068]In the description below, a job defines a printer job performed by the image forming apparatus 1 by using a printer function thereof and a copier job performed by the image forming apparatus 1 by using a copier function thereof. The image forming apparatus 1 has an off mode, a standby mode, and a print preparation mode. The off mode defines a state in which the components installed in the image forming apparatus 1 including the fixing device 20 are turned off and the controller 70 is in a sleep mode. That is, power is supplied to neither the induction heater 30 nor the pressing roller heater 40. The standby mode is activated after a job is finished and prior to entering the off mode. The standby mode defines a state in which power is supplied to at least one of the induction heater 30 and the p...

second embodiment

[0107]A description is now given of the fixing device 20.

[0108]FIG. 8 is a graph showing a relation between the temperature of the fixing sleeve 22 and the pressing roller 23, on the one hand, and power consumption over time on the other when the image forming apparatus 1 receives a copier job or when the image forming apparatus 1 is in the print preparation mode.

[0109]According the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5, in the standby mode after the copier job or the print preparation mode is finished, the pressing roller heater 40 remains on. By contrast, according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8, even in the standby mode after the copier job or the print preparation mode is finished, like in the standby mode shown in FIG. 3 after the printer job is finished, the pressing roller heater 40 is turned off for a predetermined time period immediately after the fixing device 20 enters the standby mode, preferably for a predetermined time period equivalent to that set for the standby...

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PUM

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Abstract

An image forming apparatus for performing a copier job and a printer job includes a controller operatively connected to a fixing rotary body heater and a pressing rotary body heater to control the fixing rotary body heater and the pressing rotary body heater. The controller activates a standby mode after the copier job and the printer job are finished in which the controller turns off at least the fixing rotary body heater and a subsequent off mode in which the controller turns off the pressing rotary body heater and the fixing rotary body heater, and identifies which of the copier job and the printer job is to be performed to turn on and off the pressing rotary body heater in the standby mode according to the identified job.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-244965, filed on Nov. 1, 2010, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]Exemplary aspects of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus and a method for forming a toner image on a recording medium, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording medium and a method used by the image forming apparatus.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Related-art image forming apparatuses, such as copiers, facsimile machines, printers, or multifunction printers, having at least one of copying, printing, scanning, and facsimile functions, typically form an image on a recording medium according to image data. Thus, for example, a charger uniformly charges a surface of an image carrier; an o...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): G03G15/20
CPCG03G15/205G03G15/5004
Inventor HASE, TAKAMASAOGAWA, TADASHIUCHITANI, TAKESHIUENO, SATOSHIKAWATA, TEPPEISAITO, KAZUYAYUASA, SHUUTAROHYAMAJI, KENSUKE
Owner RICOH KK